Taking on the 'Channel of Bones'

One afternoon in December last year I was with a bunch of mates enjoying the Christmas party at North Bondi Surf Life Saving Club. There was a raffle with a top prize of two return flights to Hawaii. Not bad for a surf club raffle...

Time came round for the draw. The numbers came up. I checked them against mine. Then looked at the winning numbers again, back at mine. They matched. I turned to a mate, pointing at my numbers. “Yeah, Sarah, you’ve won!” I couldn’t believe it. Two return flights to Hawaii!! I was just a little bit excited… The big decision was when to go. There were plenty of suggestions, along with some generous offers to be my plus one. But one mate got it, “Sarah, so I guess you’re gonna do Molokai then?” Dave you genius, yes! Decision made.

So 21st May, after five months of heavy training I was on that flight to Hawaii set to compete in the Maui Jim Molokai Challenge 2017. It’s on the World Ocean Racing series and is steeped in history and prestige. At 53km it’s also the longest race in the series. It crosses the Ka’iwi Channel, affectionately known as the “Channel of Bones”. The name comes from the fact that it’s a notoriously rough stretch of water, a real test of paddlers.

I’d put in the training – long gruelling sessions up to 5.5 hours. I was all set, but it was going to be down to the conditions on the day...